There is a continuously increasing demand for pigments with intense pearlescent color and/or metallic luster in the field of paints, coatings, inks, plastics, cosmetics and especially for exterior coatings. Therefore, the development in the field of pigments aims at lustrous and hiding pigments which can be new effect pigments or replace the metallic pigments such as aluminum flakes with their known disadvantages. It is known that coatings of TiO.sub.2 -layers on platelet-shaped substrates produce the so-called pearlescent effect. For this kind of pigments it is possible to control the interference color by changing the thickness of the TiO.sub.2 -layer. It is known from DE 3433657, U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,396 and EP 0332071 to use suboxides, e.g. suboxides of titanium, for the coating of platelet-shaped substrates whereby for the reduction of the TiO.sub.2 ammonia gas is used.
However, the reduction of solid particles by a reducing gas is not suitable for an industrial production, because the color of the product as a function of the degree of reduction is difficult to control. It is dependent on the size of the particles, the temperature, the gas flow and the time of treatment. Furthermore special facilities for dangerous or toxic gas are necessary. It is also known that such suboxides provide functional properties such as electric conductivity.
JP-A-1-158077 discloses a pigment consisting of a titanium oxide layer containing a dark color region on a mica core and a color tone adjusting layer as covering layer comprising at least one of silicon oxide, aluminum oxide and zinc oxide or a composite oxide thereof. The dark color region is composed of a dark color metal oxide, such as titanium oxide or iron oxide of lower order, of titanium nitride, titanium oxide or carbon black.
The pigment is manufactured in a first step by heating and reducing titanium dioxide-coated mica flakes at a temperature of from 500.degree. C. to 1000.degree. C. in a reducing gas; or by blending titanium dioxide-coated mica flakes with titanium metal and heating the resulting blend in a vacuum at a temperature of from 500.degree. to 1000.degree. C. for a long time of more than 6 hours. The covering layer is deposited in a second step in an aqueous medium by precipitating of silicon dioxide hydrate on the first layer containing the titanium suboxides and drying or firing the pigment. This additional coating improves heat stability of the suboxide containing layer. However, the functional properties such as electric conductivity of the first layer is shielded by this second layer. The pigment has the disadvantage that it is manufactured in a complicated two-step process which raises the price. The reduction in vacuum requires expensive facilities and complicated operation and high temperature and longer reaction time causes low production efficiency. Furthermore the used titanium metal is expensive.